My eldest nephew called at 8:14pm my time to tell me he had landed in Chicago, he's there for his Naval Basic Training. I love him like my son, and I'm missing him so badly right now. I'm just imaging what it will be like when Steven goes on June 9th. Ricky is a wonderful, wonderful, young man I am so proud of. Please keep him in your prayers and thoughts as he starts this new phase of the rest of his life. Tomorrow is also his 22nd birthday.
This is Tuesday night at his going away party:

I admit, it's a lot harder than I thought it would be. I couldn't go to the airport to see him off, we are doing state testing and a licensed teacher has to be in the classroom. I held Steven out so he could go though and it really shook him up. Ricky is like his older brother, not his cousin.

I woke up this morning wondering how he was doing his first day up there. I was trying to check the weather around there, my sun-loving nephew is going have withdrawals for our beautiful Southwestern sun.